FRIENDS PROVIDENT t20, Northampton:
Leicestershire 149-8 (18 ovs) bt Northants 137-9 (18 ovs) by 12 runs
Match scorecard

Leicestershire celebrate after Matthew Hoggard removes James Middlebrook

Pace bowler Nadeem Malik took 4-25 as Leicestershire beat Northants by 12 runs in a rain-reduced FP t20 game.

Northants, chasing 150 to win from 18 overs, collapsed from 106-3 to 137-9 in their last five overs, as captain Matthew Hoggard weighed in with 2-27.

Earlier, Australia international Andrew McDonald top scored with 49 off 35 balls in the Foxes' 149-8, while Claude Henderson smashed 32 from 14.

Former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas took 2-24 and Nicky Boje 2-39.

The start was delayed by 50 minutes at Northampton, meaning the loss of two overs per side.

Leicestershire, who won the toss, got off to the worst possible start as Jacques du Toit was run out off the first ball of the innings.

Vaas claimed his two wickets in the 13th over when Will Jefferson smashed him to Mal Loye at point, before he caught and bowled England prospect James Taylor.

Henderson hit three massive sixes before being caught at long-on by Alex Wakely off Lee Daggett, who conceded 19 off the final over.

Set 150 to win, Northants looked to be cruising and needed to score at 10 an over with five overs to go and seven wickets in hand.

South African Andrew Hall made 27 off 18 balls before his leg stump was sent spinning by Malik to start the collapse.

BBC Radio Northampton's Geoff Doyle reflects on the match:
"This was a bit of a tepid game that never quite fired. Already there is the sense that with more matches in this year's Twenty20 format an element of the excitement has gone.

"When there were fewer games each match meant so much but now there is not that importance now.

"The Steelbacks threw this one away having got themselves in a reasonable position. Malik's three wickets in one over sealed the Foxes' win."

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